OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Board of Public Works & Safety Meeting - April 14, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, April 14, 2026
BodyNew Albany, Indiana
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, April 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 48:59

Transcript — Verbatim
0:51

Yeah, I should go to the roll and check it out.

1:04

I just don't know right now.

1:37

And I'm just like my back there.

1:52

I guess we'll go on.

1:58

Good morning.

1:59

April 14th, 2026 meeting on the Board of Public Works and Safety.

2:03

We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:40

Pat Power Parker.

2:44

Pat Housebury, Devil America Contractors for Indiana American Water Permits.

2:50

First one is 37 West Fifth Street in New Albany.

2:57

There had to cut the road, had to cut a four by ten and a ten by nine in the asphalt.

3:06

The second one is two one zero one Reno Avenue in New Albany.

3:12

We had to replace a water valve there, so we had to do a street cut and we had to cut a six by eight in the asphalt.

3:25

The third one is three two five Woodrow Avenue.

3:43

Next one is one, two, three, five slate run road.

3:46

We replaced a service and set there.

3:49

We had to do a street cut.

3:50

We had to cut two holes of three by five and a four by five.

3:54

There's actually two when I took the picture, it wasn't far in the back of another smaller refaire at the edge of that.

4:05

Okay.

4:06

Oh, you're good.

4:06

The next one is two seven seven three Charlestown Road.

4:10

Uh in New Albany.

4:12

We had a repair about box air, and we had to cut a four by four out of the uh concrete sidewalk.

4:22

The last one I got is 601 Mount Paper Road.

4:25

Uh we had repair water main.

4:27

We had to do a 10x10 uh asphalt cut.

4:32

Should we all have Mickey?

4:36

I was gonna let you know too that Nathan Club is gonna work until May 1st and that will be his last date.

4:42

And John Weber will be taken over.

4:44

Which I think you met John Weber, he's come here for the capital projects.

4:48

But yeah.

4:50

If you need it, if you need his number, I'll forward it to you.

4:54

So yeah, John uh John Weber, yeah.

4:56

Yeah, I've got that on my phone.

4:58

Okay.

4:58

Yeah.

5:00

Nathan is going to go out and loan and try that.

5:02

So it's gonna hopefully we keep going the way we are.

5:11

So thanks.

5:13

All right, thank you.

5:18

I don't think we have any issues, Mickey.

5:41

Ms.

5:41

Favy.

5:48

I have pictures and stuff.

5:51

Do I hand them to you all?

5:53

Yes, you can.

6:00

Here's the lands.

6:02

Thank you.

6:10

Thank you very much.

6:12

The deal neighbors purchased the two properties across the street for me and turned them into short-term rentals, and it has been a continuous problem with their customers either pulling into, backing into, and even driving in my yard, off and on for the last three years.

6:30

Numerous times I've had to purchase dirt, grass tea, and straw to fix the damage.

6:36

I've presented pictures of some of the vehicles and pictures of some of the damage.

6:41

Some of the vehicles driving in the yard occurred at night, and my cameras could not pick up images at night.

6:47

One pickup truck had a trailer on it.

6:50

Two-thirds of the trailer was in my front yard, and his whole pickup went into my front yard while the wife was in my yard directing him to back it up into the driveway across the street.

7:00

I told her I had no trespassing signs up, and she just waved me off and said he was being respectful.

7:07

After several attempts to try to get them out of my yard, I yelled at them that they were not being respectful.

7:13

They continued.

7:14

The next day when they were leaving, I was outside watching them and they were giving me the finger.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Neighborhood Disputes████████████████████████████████32%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Arts And Culture█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Transportation Safety████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Board of Public Works & Safety Meeting - April 14, 2026

The Board of Public Works and Safety met on April 14, 2026, to consider water main repair permits, a dispute over placing obstacles in the right-of-way, a road closure for a block party, special event permits, a railroad crossing improvement agreement, and updates on paving and the overlook. The board approved multiple items and deferred others for further investigation.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ms. Pavey (resident at 1658 Silver Creek Dr.) requested permission to place stones and fiberglass markers at the edge of the road (right-of-way) to prevent vehicles from damaging her yard. She described ongoing problems with short-term rental guests of neighboring property driving onto her lawn, damage from utility trucks, and disputes with the neighbors, the Deals. She asked whether she could place barriers on her own property line if not allowed in the right-of-way. The board took the request under advisement.

  • Kimberly Leet-Diehl (neighbor at 1658 Silver Creek Dr., owner of short-term rentals) opposed the placement of obstacles in the right-of-way, arguing that the narrow 14-foot road requires the right-of-way for all vehicles (UPS, FedEx, utility trucks, guests). She stated her actions are legal and requested that the board keep the right-of-way open. She also suggested installing a “no turnaround” sign to reduce traffic. The board took her comments under advisement.

  • Representative from Heebs Birds Cafe (downtown New Albany) requested a road closure of 4th Street between Market and Main on Sunday, June 7, 2026, for a block party from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event would feature live music, cornhole, and shade canopies. He expressed concern about ongoing construction by MAC Construction. The board took the request under advisement pending consultation with Kevin from MAC Construction, citing safety concerns about uneven pavement.

Discussion Items

  • Water Main Repair Permits – Pat Hauersperger of Dave O'Mara Contractors presented six emergency repair permits for Indiana American Water: 37 W. 5th St. (4x10 and 10x9 asphalt cuts), 2101 Reno Ave. (6x8 cut), 323 and 325 Woodrow Ave. (3x5 and 4x5 cuts), 1235 Slate Run Rd. (service and set replacement, cuts), 2773 Charlestown Rd. (4x4 concrete sidewalk cut), and 601 Mt. Tabor Rd. (10x10 asphalt cut). The board approved the permits without objection. Personnel changes were noted: Nathan Club's last day is May 1, replaced by John Weber.

  • Stone and Marker Placement Request – Ms. Pavey's request to place stones and orange fiberglass markers in the right-of-way was discussed. Board members expressed sympathy but noted the area is city right-of-way. They took the matter under advisement to research legality and property lines; no decision was made.

  • Road Closure Request for Block Party – Heebs Birds Cafe's request to close 4th Street was discussed. Board members raised safety concerns about construction. The board took it under advisement to coordinate with Kevin from MAC Construction to assess road condition and potential safety measures (e.g., road plattes). The cafe may consider postponing if unsafe.

  • Special Event Permits – Krystina Jarboe presented two permit requests:

    • Arts Alliance: SoINTo Shakespeare – Performance of “Pericles the Prince of Tyre” at Bicentennial Park on Saturday, May 9, 2026 (rain date May 17), 11 a.m.–4 p.m., with play 2–3:30 p.m. Minimal props and sound system. Approved unanimously.
    • New Albany Seventh Day Adventist Church: Faith in Motion 5K – Race at Amphitheater on Sunday, August 30, 2026, 6 a.m.–11 a.m., race ~8–10 a.m. Includes tent, timing pad, generator, signs. No rain date. Approved unanimously.

  • Sidewalk and Railroad Grade Crossing Improvements Agreement – Larry Summers presented an agreement with Norfolk Southern Railroad for sidewalk improvements at 6th Street crossing to the greenway, not to exceed $179,319. A typographical error (“City of Albany”) was noted. The board approved the agreement subject to correction; the mayor (Mickey) will sign.

  • Paving Updates – Larry Summers reported that drainage improvements on Mount Tabor Road are nearly complete; alley milling work occurred on Monday; the 2026 paving contract is awardable and under legal review. Further updates pending.

  • Overlook Closure – A city official reported that the overlook (observation area) has been closed due to observed concrete cracking. Safety inspection is underway; the board was informed.

Key Outcoes

  • Approved:
    • Six water main repair permits (no objection).
    • Special event permit for SoINTo Shakespeare (May 9/17).
    • Special event permit for Faith in Motion 5K (August 30).
    • Railroad crossing agreement ($179,319), subject to typo correction.
    • Claims and approval of minutes (unanimous).
  • Deferred/Taken Under Advisement:
    • Stone and marker placement request (Ms. Pavey) – pending further review.
    • Road closure request (Heebs Birds Cafe) – pending consultation with MAC Construction.
  • Other: The overlook closure announced for safety inspection; paving updates noted.

Meeting Transcript

Yeah, I should go to the roll and check it out. I just don't know right now. And I'm just like my back there. I guess we'll go on. Good morning. April 14th, 2026 meeting on the Board of Public Works and Safety. We'll begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Pat Power Parker. Pat Housebury, Devil America Contractors for Indiana American Water Permits. First one is 37 West Fifth Street in New Albany. There had to cut the road, had to cut a four by ten and a ten by nine in the asphalt. The second one is two one zero one Reno Avenue in New Albany. We had to replace a water valve there, so we had to do a street cut and we had to cut a six by eight in the asphalt. The third one is three two five Woodrow Avenue. Next one is one, two, three, five slate run road. We replaced a service and set there. We had to do a street cut. We had to cut two holes of three by five and a four by five. There's actually two when I took the picture, it wasn't far in the back of another smaller refaire at the edge of that. Okay. Oh, you're good. The next one is two seven seven three Charlestown Road. Uh in New Albany. We had a repair about box air, and we had to cut a four by four out of the uh concrete sidewalk. The last one I got is 601 Mount Paper Road. Uh we had repair water main. We had to do a 10x10 uh asphalt cut. Should we all have Mickey? I was gonna let you know too that Nathan Club is gonna work until May 1st and that will be his last date. And John Weber will be taken over. Which I think you met John Weber, he's come here for the capital projects. But yeah. If you need it, if you need his number, I'll forward it to you. So yeah, John uh John Weber, yeah. Yeah, I've got that on my phone. Okay. Yeah. Nathan is going to go out and loan and try that. So it's gonna hopefully we keep going the way we are. So thanks. All right, thank you. I don't think we have any issues, Mickey. Ms. Favy. I have pictures and stuff. Do I hand them to you all? Yes, you can. Here's the lands. Thank you. Thank you very much.

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